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Elk Branch

Ghost town · Berkeley County, West Virginia

Hancock quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1899, 1:62,500)
Hancock quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1899, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Elk Branch is a ghost town in Berkeley County, West Virginia. It is one of 5 former communities in Berkeley County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 24th among the 53 West Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Elk Branch as a historical populated place on the Big Pool topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.5004° N, 78.1150° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleBig Pool
Elevation677 ft
Nearest living townHedgesville, WV
Distance to it7.4 miles
GNIS feature ID1727418
Coordinates39.50037, -78.11500

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Elk Branch is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Hedgesville, WV (population 349), about 7.4 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 677 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Elk Branch?

Elk Branch is in Berkeley County, West Virginia, at 39.5004, -78.1150.

How many ghost towns are in Berkeley County?

Berkeley County, West Virginia has 5 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.